


A Baleful Badger

by LaceeKamenev



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, Friendship, Hurt, MIND STUFF, Minor Romance, Revelations, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 05:24:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4775288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaceeKamenev/pseuds/LaceeKamenev
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The adventure of Lacee Kamenev, Fifth Year, Hufflepuff. OC's only minor reference to orignial characters, may be drawn into the fiction at some point.<br/>Voldemort, Slytherins, Lies, Revelations, Friendship and Hufflepuffs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Baleful Badger

Unfortunatley I do not own HP, the Universe or any of the characters who belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling #Disclaimer

"Rune, Lacee!" Professor McGonagall called.  
I stepped forward in haste, staring blankly at the door of the great hall as I sat down on the chipped decaying stool, pretending the hundreds of eyes watching me merely belonged to insects. It helped calm my nerves. The grey-black hat was placed upon my head.  
"Miss Rune, a pleasure to meet you." An archaic silky voice drawled through my head. "Hmm.. Lets see, too academically challenged to be a Ravenclaw..." I huffed mentally at the hats bold statement.  
A pleasure to meet you too. My thoughts dripped in sarcasm.  
The voice chuckled in my head, a dull hum vibrating my skull.  
"You certainly possess the acquired talents to be Slytherin, I do seriously contemplate it.... but your loyalty, that is something outstanding...You certainly will be one interesting HUFFLEPUFF."  
I realised the Hat spoke the last word as cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table from the far left of the hall, removing the tense atmosphere. I flashed a sweet smile in the direction of the table and walked over perching myself on an empty space closest to the end of the table.  
Hufflepuff?! I shouted at the hat in confusion even though it wasn't on my head anymore. I could imagine the hat answering though with its mocking chuckle. I sighed inwardly. An elbow nudged my side gently and I looked at the owner of the offending limb with open eyes. The person looked at me with an equal expression, which grew into a small smile.  
"You don't look young enough to be a first year if you don't mind my saying. Alexander Kei at your service. Seventh Year. Prefect, I'll have you know." He held his hand out. The left side of my mouth twitched into a wry smile.  
"That's because I'm not, I've been home schooled up until now. I've finally broke my chains though. Lacee Rune at your service. Fifth Year." I repeated back. His head tilted slightly ruffling his hair, a soft brown with curious gingery highlights, as another student was sorted. His gaze returned to me when they were sorted in Ravenclaw.  
"Lacee? Sounds like a prostitutes name." he replied cheekily.  
"I think you're thinking about the film 'Lovelace' you perverted muggleborn." Another person teased opposite the table, clearly close to Alexander.  
"Says you? You're the one who wanted to watch it in the first place!" Alexander huffed, amusement evident in his amber eyes.  
"Says me." The grinning guy agreed. "Nicholi Dolohov." He said to me.  
"Pleasure to meet you. Dolohov? Why do I recognise that?"  
"Ah, brave to ask that question." Alexander murmured. Nicholi cleared his throat dramatically and held his fore finger up to me signally my attention and patience. He grabbed a newspaper sat in front of him and idly flicked through the pages humming the Sorting Hat song untill his eyes rested on what he was looking for. "Aha!" He muttered to himself. He folded the paper in half and turned it to me while holding it close to his face. "Say hello to Papa Dolohov."

Antonin Dolohov spotted in death Eater raid.

The wanted man that is Dolohov was spotted in a Death Eater raid in Stonewall, Shakespeare Street. The anonymous storekeeper who took the photo printed below claimed to see the nefarious monster torturing a young muggle girl on August 29th. Readers are asked to keep clear of the area in case he is still lingering. The aurors will clear the perimeter and inform wizarding citizens when it will be safe to return.  
A picture beneath showed a burly middle aged man with a long and pale face stalking the street with a twisted expression. I glanced back at Nicholi who was waiting patiently for a response then back at the picture. There was a striking resemblance. Nicholi shared his father's dark hair, pale skin tone and aristocratic features, his face however was softer than the mans in the pictures. Sweeter even. My eyes flitted between them a few more times.  
"Your mum must be cute then." I finally said.  
Alexander looked at me wide eyed and Nick gave a chortle.  
"As a button." he grinned again. "You implying anything?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. I laughed in response and Alexander gave a mocking dejected sigh and muttered to ignore him.  
My reply was lodged down my throat as Nicholi's face blanched as he looked over my shoulder. Alexander and I gave questioning looks untill we followed to gaze to a greasy haired professor giving us an icy glare. If looks could kill. I looked back to the others to see Alexander blanching as well.  
"Professor Snape." He answered my silent question. "Unpleasant man." He gave a wry smile which I returned.  
"And that concludes the sorting! I'd like to give a warm welcome to all the new students." Alexander bumped my arm at this. "And to those returning. May your education be magical. Also a reminder that the Forbidden Forest is Forbidden for a reason." His innocuous eyes lingered on someone in the Gryffindor table and twinkled. "Let the feast begin!" he boomed.  
Food appeared obediently on every table at the click of the professors fingers. Roast potatoes, Lamb Chops, Yorkshire Puddings. A perfect feast. I dragged my tongue against my bottom lip subconsciously not realising how hungry I was until the food was displayed in front of me begging to be eaten.  
"Could you pass the gravy?" I looked up out of curiosity to realise the timid voice was speaking to me.  
"Oh, yeah, sure." I passed the gravy to the first year and began loading up my plate. I wasn't about to admit it but I felt a tad claustrophobic with so many people around me. I stopped for a moment and reinforced my mental barriers pretending everyone was in their underwear. When I told my sister about my coping strategy I was scalded for humiliating others and putting them at a detriment for my own selfish needs. She'll be glad when I write to her later. She was constantly fretting I'd be a Slytherin instead of the traditional of Hufflepuffs in my family. I know it's petulant but part of me wanted to be in Slytherin so I could see her face, as cruel as that is. I'm not complaining that I'm a Hufflepuff, I generally didn't mind what house I was going into.  
LRLRLR  
"This little firsties and new students is our Common Room. Simply tap the barrel in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' and it'll open up for you. Our common room is sacred to us Hufflepuffs so be careful not to reveal the entrance to anyone in another house. Well you can try but they'll probably wonder off due to the repelling charms. It happened to Vause last year, he tried to bring a Gryffindor girl in here but she disappeared and turned up a day later in the astronomy tower." Alexander tapped the barrel in demonstration. "I also hope that none of you have any dignity." The curious expressions of the first years and myself was answered by chuckles from the older students as they crawled into the barrel hole, beckoning the other students through. I lingered at the back wanting to avoid people watching me crawl through.  
"Have dignity to loose then?" Nicholi asked when he noticed me stepping to the back of the crowd.  
"I'd like to keep the remainder of what I have. What about you, pureblood?" I teased, remembering how he addressed Alexander at Dinner.  
"I lost my dignity on the day my father became a Death Eater." his serious tone made me worry I'd hit a landmine but then he tapped me on the nose with his wand with a little smile. "Which is before my birth now I think about it, so no, I guess I can't worry about something I've never had." He hitched his robes up and crawled through the hole backwards. Laughs from first years and groans from Alexander were heard as he began shimmying through. I laughed at his puerile manner and he winked back. "Ever played wizard chess?" he asked before he disappeared.  
"I tried playing it, I can't say I ever got the hang of it." my nose scrunched in shame and disgust.  
"Great! Find me later and we'll have a match. I do love winning."  
The common room was stunning. When I heard it was in a basement I thought it'd be like an old wine cellar. Damp and dark. The room was illuminated through circular windows surrounding the perimeter of one side of the room. Through the windows you could see daisies and meadow grass rippling in the wind.  
"I feel like a mole." I said to noone in particular.  
"A badger." Someone corrected. I couldn't help but smile. The room was so earthy and warm. I stood in a ray of sunshine and it heated up my body immediately.  
"I could get used to being a badger."  
LRLRLR  
The door to my new dorm room opened while my hand was reaching out to grasp the handle revealing a beautiful dark skinned girl with with sleek black hair. Her lips twitched in greeting.  
"New girl?" a valley-girl accent was prominent. I nodded and help my hand out which she shook after starring at it for a second.  
"Lacee Rune."  
"Xavier Rae. I'll see you around Lacee." She stepped passed me allowing me to enter my new dormitory.  
The room was circular, with five four poster beds equally spaced apart. One of the beds had my trunk atop of it so assuming it was mine I made my way over and began unpacking. A small girl with short dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes walked into the room followed by a carbon copy. The two girls made their way over to me when they saw me, their wavy hair bouncing slightly as the moved.  
"Lacee, hi, we were waiting for you to show up." One of the girls said as she sat on my bed.  
"You’re name is on your trunk." The other said as she perched on the bed frame when I gave the first girl a questioning look.  
"Romy Harper."  
"Raine Harper."  
"Lovely to meet you both. I have a question, if you don’t mind me asking. Where do you put your clothes?" I asked genuinely confused. There seemed to be no furniture besides the beds, bedside tables and chairs that were in the middle of the room. One of the twins giggled at the question and slid off the frame of the bed.  
"Watch and learn." She crouched down next to me and sifted through my trunk for my clothes. I let her out of curiosity.  
"You can call us Harper if you get confused, it's what most of the house do." The twin sat on my bed said while the other walked over to the wall near my bed with a handful of folded clothes. "And the teachers now that I think about it." She added as an afterthought. "It's quite brilliant actually, the other day Professor Snape directed a question at me asking for the uses of Porquine Shells, I was completely dumbstruck but because he called 'Harper', Raine answered being the darling she is to save my hyde." She snickered while Raine tapped the wall with her wand and the wall emitted a dim yellow light before revealing multiple storage units built into the wall. Clothes drawers, bookshelves and storage units littered the walls of the circular room.  
"Us hufflepuffs are known for our house secrets. Most of the other houses think we're a bunch of invalids." one of the twins said as she opened a drawer next to my bed and put my clothes away. "Little do they know." she chirped.  
I spent the next hour unpacking and talking with the Harper twins, admittedly the twins did most of the unpacking but I'm not one to refuse help.  
"I'm probably going to regret accepting your help when I can't find any of my stuff." I said once everything was packed away.  
"At least now we know where everything is when we want to borrow something." a twin replied with a wry smile.  
"Especially that blue underwear set. Don't expect to see that again." I pushed the blonde girl off my bed and she fell with a startled yelp. I turned to the other twin.  
"If my favourite underwear set goes missing don't expect to see your other half again." The girl on the floor laughed.  
"Got it, stay away from the underwear." we fell into comfortable silence for a few moments until one of the girls spoke up again.  
"Have you met the other girls yet? In the dorm I mean."  
"I met Xavier when I first came in. We didn't speak much, she was on her way out." The twins shared a knowing smile.  
"Yeah, I wouldn't expect to see her until morning." She coughed in her hand and said slut.  
"Raine!" the other girl exclaimed and threw a pillow at her. "There's nothing wrong with being a little promiscuous. Girl got game." Raine began picking at the patchwork pillow muttering about STIs and giggling to herself before she spoke up again.  
"The other girl's Circe O'Flaherty, a beater on the quidditch team. You might want to read up on the latest quidditch news if you want to hold a conversation with her though." she gestured towards the bed on the other side of the room that was surrounded by Holyhead Harpies posters.  
"Raine! You're a hufflepuff, what happened to being just?" the other girl scolded.  
"What happened to being honest?" the other girl countered. As the tension rose I realised I was in the middle of a brewing sibling fight so I excused myself and decided to retreat to the common room.  
After crawling through the tunnels for a minute I arrived at the door to the common room. These tubes were a pain and a labyrinth. A modified point me spell was incorporated into the tubes to enable students to find what their own dormitories. I shuffled so I was sat at the door then opened it and lifted myself down onto the floor of the sunny common room. I scanned the room for a familiar face and saw Alexander on a sofa surrounded by other seventh years and made my way over. I stood behind the overstuffed couch and leaned over to where the amber eyed boy was sat, resting my elbows on the back of the couch.  
"Say Mr.Kei, you haven't seen Nicholi have you?"  
"He's usually in the corner by the Modus Exprimus."  
"Is that some kind of plant?" he chuckled deeply.  
"It’s the twisted vine which appears to be changing colours when you aren't looking directly at it."  
"What would I do without you." I sighed and gave a thankful smile as I stood up and began scanning the room for the dark haired boy.  
"Anytime Lovelace. Send Nicki my love!"  
I stopped scanning when I saw the vine out of the corner of my eye, dark blues, greens and blacks travelled through the vine. The colours raced each other through the veins of the leaves. When I turned to the vine all colours stopped as if they were never there and I was looking at dark green waxy leaves that tumbled up to the low ceiling. Next to the vine were two velvet black armchairs facing each other at an angle. A small coffee table was perched between them both. Nicholi was lying across one of the armchairs, his head resting on one stuffed armrest and his knees bent over the other side. I walked closer peering at what he was doing and saw his eyes lazily roaming a defence against dark arts book. A toad was sat on his book, light brown with black markings twisting around the surface. He was poking it, trying to get it to move. I bent down so my mouth was near his ear.  
"That's a peculiar bookmark." He yelped slightly and looked at me eyes wide open. When he saw it was me his gaze softened and he shook his book so the toad fell onto his stomach and patted the armchair next to him. "What're you doing on your ownsome anyway?" I asked as I sat in the chair and pulled my legs to my chest, trying to get comfy.  
"I'm feared don't you know. Evil dark wizard." he gave a 'Grrr' noise and I laughed at his lame imitation until he lifted a single eyebrow in my direction.  
"What? Were you being serious?" I dead-panned.  
"No One really minded where I came from at first, they accepted the fact that my family was dark, but when you-know-who came into power again I started being shunned. My father hurt a lot of people. Like father like son they say."  
"Bullshit. You're utterly adorable." I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about his personal life but I didn't want to push him to talk about anything.  
"I know." He winked.  
"Alexander sends his love by the way."  
"Sweet of him." he began playing with his toad, tugging its arms to make gesticulations to match his speech.  
"How'd you two know each other?" He made the toad stroke an invisible beard in thought.  
"Childhood friends. I used to go to this one park when I was younger and play with a boy there, I thought he was a muggle until we met in my first year. He taught me the wonders of muggle-"  
"-prostitute films." I finished for him. He grinned his Nicholi grin.  
"Exactly." He pulled out a smooth ebony wand from his sleeve and conjured a chess set. "I believe you owe me a game."  
The evening passed quickly after three chess games, I lost the first two games before Alexander came over and decided to coach me in pity. Currently Nicholi was sat opposite me perched on edge of the armchair to be as close to the coffee table as possible. His chin was resting in his hand and lips pursed in concentration, I was confident I was in a similar position. Alexander was sat on one of the arm rests muttering tips to me. I moved a white pawn carefully placing it in front of a black one.  
"Stalemate!" Alexander called triumphantly. Nicholi laughed and leaned back into his armchair disappearing the chess set with a flick of his wand.  
"Is that good? Did I win?" I asked in a state of befuddlement.  
"You drawed." I let out a happy yip and leaned back into the armchair too, pressing against Alexander's legs in the process.  
"Close enough for me." I sighed contentedly trying and failing not to look like the cat who ate all the cream. Alexander's legs shifted besides my arm so I glanced up at him to see him pull his legs to the front of the arm chair and onto the floor.  
"Me too, I was this close to poly juicing myself as you so you didn't lose again."  
"Don't listen to him. I for one enjoyed your losing streak Lacee." Nicholi grinned. Alexander bumped my shoulder affectionately then stood.  
"Feel free to loose again Lace, I'm going to hit the sack. I've got to be up for prefect duties in the morning. Goodnight guys." Alexander began walking to one of the multiple tunnels surrounding the common room.  
"Night."  
"G'night." He was just about to crawl into a tunnel before he turned around and called back.  
"And don't stay up too long, I don't want dead Hufflepuffs at breakfast tomorrow." he cheeked.  
"Aye, aye sir." I mock saluted, Nicholi copied my actions with an 'Affirmative'. The tunnel door closed with a satisfying click. It was then that I realised the common room was empty par Nicholi and I. Nicholi shuffled so his feet were resting on the armrest that Alexander just vacated.  
"Lacee, can I ask you something?" he began. I studied him and saw his head was tipped back and his eyes glazed over staring at nothing in particular in thought or somnolence. Probably both. His dark shaggy hair was pulled back by gravity.  
"Ofcourse." I finally decided on saying. I put as much strength and reassurance into the word as possible.  
"You aren't regretting my company are you?" He stopped me when I opened my mouth the answer. "Don't say anything yet. I don't speak to my father. I live with my mother and she's not interested in you-know-who's ideals. I want to be friends with you Lacee and I want to make sure you're comfortable around me." My mouth open and closed for a moment in surprise.  
"Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm not bothered who your parents are. I can't talk, my whole family are slytherins par myself." I lied smoothly and mentally cursed myself for speaking before I thought. It happened sometimes and I couldn't control it, sometimes I wondered if I was a pathological liar but that'd be impossible since my episodes happened once in a blue moon. I wanted to sympathise with his alienation but this wasn't the way I wanted to do it. Outwardly I chuckled at his owl-eyed expression of surprise to keep my appearance lighthearted.  
"Are they dark wizards?" he asked hesitantly.  
"Yes." I chirped confidently, wanting to comfort his insecurities. "I've never met them though, hell, I don't even know who they are. My sister raised me, she wanted to give me a difference life to hers. One that wasn't related to the dark arts or you-know-who or Slytherin." That wasn't necessarily all false, my sister did raise me but only because my parents passed away when I was younger. Nicholi looked on me with sympathy. One that he probably gave himself. "You're not your father or family. How can you be- How can we be? We're both Hufflepuffs!" A grin tugged at his lips. My guilt returned and I felt a tugging feeling in my stomach when he looked so relieved.  
"Friends?" he held his hand out across the little black table.  
"Friends." I said as I shook his calloused hand. He then dragged me into a hug. "Great." he beamed. We both retired to our dorms shortly after saying our 'goodnights'. When I reached my dorm room I suddenly realised how late it had gotten. Everyone was already in bed, so careful not to disturb anyone I stripped to my pants and pulled on a soft grey cashmere crop top I left underneath my pillow earlier and slept in blissful peace, thinking about the first friends I'd ever made.  
LRLRLR  
My morning wasn't so peaceful. I woke up when I felt a heavy weight on top of me. My eyes snapped open then I closed them immediately as the sunlight burned them. I tried to turn my face into a pillow but a want tip stopped me.  
"Aguamenti." A sudden explosion of water shocked by warm muscles and I jumped out of the bed in an instant letting my eyes fix on the attacker. One of the harper twins was sat on my bed clutching her sides laughing as she moved to avoid the puddle of water on my bed. Chuckles were sounded behind me, I whipped my head round causing water to drip from my hair at my dressed dorm mates.  
"You've got 10 minutes to get ready, roomy!" Xavier lifted the side of her mouth as she spoke. I blinked a few times trying to remove the foggy haze which was sleep until it dawned on me that I had slept in. I released my frustrations in a groan.  
"I’ll get ready,l right after I teach a Harper a lesson." The other twin grabbed the wand out of my hand before I could react then placed it on my bedside table.  
"We're getting our timetables for the year so you can't miss breakfast, hurry hurry." She said as she left with Xavier and another girl who I assumed was Circe.  
"Just you and me now Lacee." Raine spoke. "I'm sorry about the Aguamenti but nothing's more effective for a quick wake up. Believe me the rest of the dorm know." I glanced over at her to see her smiling knowingly at me. I silently acknowledged her half-assed apology.  
"You're waiting with me for punishment!" I shouted as I ran into the showers, stripping down on the way. My cashmere top was thrown in the general direction of my bed but I had a feeling I wouldn't be seeing it for a while.  
"Serves me about right." she replied, her tone indication she was not caring if she stayed or not. I scrubbed my hair with the shampoo closest to me and used it as body wash as well to quicken my pace. Raine cast a drying charm and waving charm on my long light blonde hair, one I assumed she usually used for herself, as I walked out the shower wrapped in an earthy pale yellow towel and pointed to my bed to where she had displayed my black and yellow school robes and a matching set of black and yellow underwear I didn't know I had until now.  
"The perks of me unpacking for you eh."  
"Raine, honest to god you are the light of my living room lamp." I said as I put the clothes on in haste not caring if the petite girl saw me naked or not. "A stupid lamp though, you couldn't have woken me a tad earlier?" I added as an afterthought. I gave the girl a bone crushing hug in retribution and to show how grateful I was once I was dressed.  
LRLRLR  
Through the empty corridors we ran, cloaks bellowing and racing each other from one corner to another, when a person walked by we slowed immediately to a fast walk, giggling at our game. As we neared the corridor that led to the Great Hall Raine stopped all of a sudden and beckoned me towards an alcove.  
"We look terrible, like we’ve just woken up." she hummed as she gestured to our disheveled appearances. “Or we’ve just shagged” the girl winked. Raine's robes were ruffled, her hair had a losing war with static and she was panting heavily with was a pink flush on her cheeks.  
"I hope I don't look as bad as you." I said warily which earned me a light shove and a few charms before the girl proceeded to charm herself.  
"Brilliant, we look perfect!" she announced as she snaked her arm through mine and we walked towards the hall in a calm pace. Pretending that we hadn't just ran a few miles from the Hufflepuff basement.  
The hall was alight with daybreak under the ceilings enchantment. Looking up the sky was a crisp blue with no clouds. Appearing almost surreal. Its beauty was stunning and for a moment and I took the moment to realise I liked the hall much more in the morning than in the evening. The natural light rather than hovering candles was less eiry. If I didn't think I was Hufflepuff material before I admitted it and accepting it now. This time it was my turn to be dragged as Raine pulled me to the far right of the hall mechanically walking to her designated seat in the middle of the table and pulling me along with her. Squeezing us in between Romy and a student I faintly recognised from the feast last night, who gave me a small smile before digging into breakfast. Decorating their plate with an array of foods quite unashamed.  
A piece of Parchment that magically appeared when I sat down pulled me from musings, words scratched hastily in ink read ‘I know’ before it set itself a light, disappearing as soon as it appeared leaving me absolutely baffled as I thought over the words.


End file.
